🔗 Share this article LA Local Accused of Assisting Hamas in 7 October Attack on Israel, US Authorities Say The accused loading a firearm American federal attorneys have accused a Louisiana resident of taking part in the October 7 attack by the militant faction on Israeli soil, as per newly unsealed legal documents. The defendant, thirty-three, allegedly armed him and joined a militia unit that fought alongside Hamas in the 2023 attack that claimed the lives of 1,195 Israeli citizens, sparking two years of conflict that killed many additional individuals. Twelve months after the attack, he allegedly travelled to the United States on a fake visa and obtained status as a permanent resident. The accused was charged with providing, attempting to furnish or plotting to deliver assistance to a foreign terrorist organization and the fraud and improper use of a visa or other documents. Alleged Role with Militant Faction Mr al-Muhtadi was reportedly an operative of the National Resistance Brigades, the armed branch of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the legal filing brought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is accused of coordinating a "unit of armed fighters" to enter into Israeli territory upon learning about the raid and asked one man to "bring the firearms", legal papers indicate. The suspect dispatched communications instructing others to provide a bulletproof vest for another man and ammunition, authorities claim. Hours after the October 7 assault began, his mobile device pinged a cell tower close to the kibbutz, the sight of a massacre, the documents stated. Legal Proceedings and Defense The legal document indicated that the accused rejected ever having been engaged in acts of terror on his American immigration form. Upon coming to the United States, he lived in a handful of places before landing in the Louisiana city, where he worked in a local restaurant. He was taken into custody on Thursday, the Justice Department said. During a hearing in Louisiana on Friday, he was questioned if he understood the allegations against him, an translator translated his answer as "affirmative, but there are a lot of things stated here that are so false, I am not guilty", according to sources. The court filings do not accuse the defendant of particular crimes or homicides. Federal attorneys have previously charged senior individuals of Hamas with the fatalities of American nationals on 7 October.